Online courses

ThetaGrrl · #1 12-02-2003, 03:22 PM

Has anyone taken online courses? I've been looking into getting a masters, but since my fiance is in the military, online programs seem like the only way to go.

Anyone have any good info for me?

JessAGD · #2 12-08-2003, 01:16 AM

I took online classes over the past summer for some of my college basics. The majority of the classes I took were done at your own pace and were fairly easy. I would recommend taking them if the classes you need are availiable. I hope this helps!

Lady Pi Phi · #3 12-08-2003, 11:06 AM

Online course are good if you're self motivated. I have taken several and I find that I get behind easily because I don't have classes to go to. I find that I put it off more because I can go at my own pace.

AchtungBaby80 · #4 12-08-2003, 01:48 PM

It really depends on how well you can pace yourself and how dedicated the professor in charge of the course is. With no classes, I felt like I wasn't taking "real classes" and put less priority on my online courses than the other ones, which could be problematic if it's a demanding course. Luckily (or unluckily, because it was a pain in the butt at the time), the professor in charge of mine was infamous for half-a$$ing the classes she taught, and this one was no exception. It was a joke, pure and simple. The only time I ran into trouble was on the tests, when I kept getting low B's even though I got the answers directly from the textbook...other people taking the class were having the same problem and we discovered that the professor hadn't been paying attention when she made out the answer key and put the wrong answers down.

mu_agd · #5 12-08-2003, 03:34 PM

where do you take these classes through? is it part of your school or an outside institution?

Lady Pi Phi · #6 12-08-2003, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mu_agd
where do you take these classes through? is it part of your school or an outside institution?

My school offers distance education course.

MareImbrium · #7 12-08-2003, 10:31 PM

Like all things, online courses has its pros and cons. Self-motivation is the key. I took one and it didn't really work out for me. I think I would have done a lot better if I had just taken the class in itself. The thing with my class was that we were required to give our inputs to questions posted on the internet board and that was part of our grade. As much as I am online, I wasn't too motivated.

WCUgirl · #8 12-08-2003, 10:56 PM

What about an online degree? Not like Univ. of Phoenix or any of those "diploma-mill" type programs you see advertised in the annoying pop-ups, but like a professional master's program through an accredited university, such as UF or one of lots of other well-known universities? I am about to start taking online MBA courses through just such an accredited program, but my attorneys at work are skeptical (I think partly because the concept is still so new...and they're old

). Would anyone "look down" upon someone because they had earned their degree online? Would they be less employable? Just looking for opinions.

ThetaGrrl · #9 12-09-2003, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AXiD670
What about an online degree? Not like Univ. of Phoenix or any of those "diploma-mill" type programs you see advertised in the annoying pop-ups, but like a professional master's program through an accredited university, such as UF or one of lots of other well-known universities?

Exactly! Everytime I hear about earning your degree online, it sounds awful. At the risk of sounding stuck-up, I refuse to get a degree from a school that has commercials.

Motivation is not a problem for me whatsoever... it's just getting started in a program that seems credible.

gamma_girl52 · #10 12-09-2003, 01:21 PM

Well, I just got accepted into my M.Ed program at American InterContinental University (or AIU for short), which IS a SACS-accredited school. I will be earning mine in an accerlated program, which takes about 10 months to a year to complete.

I was kind of like that as well (who wants to attend a school with those pop-up ads) but after a lot of research I think I made a great choice. Also, because it's online I can go at my own pace, log on and do what I need to do whenever I want as long as my assignments/projects are on time, etc. It doesn't interfere with me continuing to work full time. Plus, it's accredited. I made sure of that...I certainly don't want a bootleg Master's that I can't use!

And actually Pheonix isn't that bad...I know a few people who have taken courses there and they like it. Just because it's online doesn't mean it's not challenging, because it is.

Discotish · #11 12-09-2003, 02:32 PM

mu_agd · #12 12-09-2003, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ThetaGrrl
Exactly! Everytime I hear about earning your degree online, it sounds awful. At the risk of sounding stuck-up, I refuse to get a degree from a school that has commercials.

Motivation is not a problem for me whatsoever... it's just getting started in a program that seems credible.

So, your school doesn't have any sort of commercials or advertisements at all? I went to a fairly known school, especially in the midwest, and they definitely showed commercials, although mostly during televised sporting events. They also had billboards on the highway advertising the school. This in no way turned me off of the school. In fact, it has become increasingly more competitive and difficult to get in as more and more people hear about it. The same thing goes for the majority of the schools that I live near now in Boston. Every single on of them has some sort of advertising in place, whether it be a commercial on tv, billboard on the side of the road, or a "come check out or info session" poster on the T.

WCUgirl · #13 12-09-2003, 03:42 PM

ThetaGrrl, a lot of universities advertise in their states via radio or television spots, or even billboards. Also, a majority of colleges and universities go to high schools and advertise at college fairs (yes, they are advertising, if you really think about it). This is not uncommon. Do you mean advertising via the internet? I'm confused by your statement (not trying to pick a fight - just want to understand what you're saying).

So, what then, would make an online program undesirable? I think it's the TYPE of school that it is. For example, the Univ. of Phoenix (and not that I'm knocking this school or it's difficulty level, it's just the first example that comes to mind because it has ads EVERYWHERE) is seen as sort of a "diploma-mill" where you are basically paying for a piece of paper, which won't really help you much.

What if a university, such as Harvard or Yale, were to start advertising their new "online distance learning programs?" Would this make the program any less valuable? A lot of widely-known schools (and not known for sports or whatever, but for their academics) are starting to offer this option for working professionals. How then do you determine if these programs are any good, and if so, which program is the best one?

mu_agd · #14 12-09-2003, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AXiD670
What if a university, such as Harvard or Yale, were to start advertising their new "online distance learning programs?" Would this make the program any less valuable? A lot of widely-known schools (and not known for sports or whatever, but for their academics) are starting to offer this option for working professionals. How then do you determine if these programs are any good, and if so, which program is the best one?

just to kind of add on to this, MIT, which is a highly respectable university, has a program they call OpenCourseWare. While you can't actually earn a degree through this, you can take almost every single class at MIT online. it offers, lecture notes, quizes, exams, etc from the professors.

DWAlphaGam · #15 12-09-2003, 05:15 PM

I have taken a few online classes towards my master's degree. The particular program that I'm doing (at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia), which is part-time and is geared towards working professionals, offers some online classes, some on-campus classes, and some classes that are both (some weeks you meet on campus and some weeks you meet online). I find that it is challenging to try to work through the material yourself, because although professors post "lectures" online, it is quite different than witnessing the lecture and being able to interact with the professor and stop him/her when you don't understand a concept. I also found it somewhat difficult to motivate myself, since I didn't feel as accountable for my work as I did when I actually had to present it in person. However, online classes are very convenient, especially when the alternative is sitting in rush-hour traffic in order to get to campus for your class. And, as long as you are getting a degree from an accredited university, I don't think it matters whether you attend online or if you attend in person.